Why I’ve had it with people only posting pictures of themselves on Instagram

In our Unfollow column, we take a look at the rise of social media tropes and put a finger on why some of them haunt us, even after we close the app. Call us negative, but we’re positive that sometimes, the only thing you can do to keep sane in our age of over-stimulation is mute, hide, and unfollow.

Have you ever noticed that some people’s Instagram grids resemble your camera roll after you’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to take that perfect selfie? Tens upon tens of shots, all slight variations of one another, only, every picture is post-worthy and perhaps the backgrounds are a tiny bit different, or their hair and makeup is. For the more advanced, full body shots mesh with close-ups, eager to let you know that they too have various sides of themselves to show.

One of Instagram’s simultaneous advantages and disadvantages is its enabling of our tendency towards self-promotion, which has in no small part contributed to the ‘Influencer Industrial Complex’ that won’t quite go away (despite article after article declaring that “The age of the influencer is over”). Maybe it’s peak influencer or maybe it’s narcissism, but if your grid only features images of yourself in a deluge of varied backdrops, I’m unfollowing.

Yet, the frequency of this Patrick Bateman level of psychopathy is somehow incredibly common. Some people exclusively post pictures of themselves on IG and it’s not just influencers. I’ve had many friends, great, interesting people offline, surprise me with their online narcissism. Is there something I’m missing? When did such overt displays of self-obsession become normalised? And who benefits? Surely not the poster, what with the pedantry it takes to pull off such a feat, and sure as hell not me.

I wonder whether it has occurred to them that the ubiquity of their self-portraiture has the opposite effect of what they’re likely intending? It’s a well known theory in economics that overabundance only curbs demand. Bad business acumen aside, I must make it clear that I have no problem with self-promotion or selfies—I, too, indulge in displays of visual self-appreciation, but as always, everything in moderation.

The trend of posting images of oneself repetitiously peaked a few years ago, back when Instagram was finding its footing as the over-commercialised mutation that it is now. Those days were the Wild West, with no rules (literally—there were no trade rules for advertising on the platform), where anything seemed to fly. Image quality went up while morality dropped way down. But since then, Instagram has grown up a little: (some) rules have been put in place and this type of posting rendered passé. Those in the know are aware that to keep your audience intrigued, you have to offer some red herrings in order to get the payoff for those objets d’art. An abstract close-up of your bedside belongings, the view from your latest getaway #notspon, or an art show you attended. At this point, a feed full of yourself suggests that’s the extent of your interests, but the more of you there is to see, the less interested I am in seeing it

In 2014, a hoax article claimed that the American Psychiatric Association had declared “selfitis”—that is, an addiction to taking selfies—as a mental disorder. The ruse was quickly let up, but the concept led to a research study exploring selfie addiction using the so-called “Selfitis Behaviour Scale.” The results apparently confirm the existence of the condition, albeit not as a mental disorder. Further research is needed to understand the full psychosocial impact on individuals, but when the scientific literature is discussing the problem the writing’s on the wall.

Despite everything, I remain positive that there is hope. If Kim K, queen of selfies, can practice such restraint as to now cut her feed with alternative real estate, then I firmly believe you can too. Take note: among the plethora of self, her page is now also populated with her shapewear line, KKW Beauty, and her recent trip to Armenia (in that order of frequency), demonstrating that Instagram truly is about more than just self-image.

Anything you’re cutting out of your social media diet? Send your pitch to kathryn@sleekmag.com.